This application is based on application No. 10-167427 filed in Japan, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that can be connected to a plurality of external equipment terminals, executes image formation on the basis of data transmitted from those external equipment terminals and is provided with a plurality of sheet discharge bins.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there have been image forming apparatuses such as a printer and a facsimile that are connected to a personal computer (abbreviated to a computer hereinafter) connected to a network and execute image formation on the basis of instructions from each computer connected to the network. Those image forming apparatuses include a type that discharges a sheet obtained after image formation into a sheet discharge bin (referred to as a mail bin hereinafter) peculiar to each computer. That is, there is known a type that uses the mail bin as a mail box.
There is another type that assigns a mail bin for each print job resulting from an image forming instruction from each computer connected to a network. That is, there is known the type that uses the mail bin as a job separate tray.
When using the mail bin as a mail box, print jobs from a particular computer are discharged into a particular mail bin. Therefore, the user of each computer is only required to fetch the sheet from the peculiar mail bin (mail box) assigned to that user. Accordingly, when fetching the sheet, the user has no uncertainty about the mail bin into which the user""s print job has been discharged. However, when there is a plurality of print jobs from a particular computer (user), all the jobs are discharged into the mail bin (mail box). As a result, the sheets for each job must be sorted from the group of sheets discharged into that one bin. This work can be very troublesome to the user.
By contrast, when the mail bin is used as a job separate tray, there is no need for sorting the sheets, as has been required when using the mail bin as a mail box. However, on the contrary, a number of mail bins are sometimes occupied by a plurality of jobs of one user. The occurrence of such a case is very inconvenient for the other users (computers) connected to the network. That is, both the case where the mail bin is used as a mail box and the case where the mail bin is used as a job separate tray have advantages and disadvantages.
One object of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned problems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a handy printer connected to a network for a plurality of computers (users) connected to the network.
Yet another object of the present invention is to enable a plurality of sheet discharge trays (mail bins) of a printer connected to a network to be used in a mode that is easy to use for the users.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a printer that can use a plurality of sheet discharge trays (mail bins) of a printer connected to a network as either a mail box or a job separate tray.
These and other objects are attained by an image forming apparatus having an image forming section, a plurality of bins for accommodating a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming section, a receiver for receiving image data, a first discharger for discharging the sheet on which an image is formed on the basis of the image data transmitted from a first apparatus into a first bin and discharging the sheet on which an image is formed on the basis of the image data transmitted from a second apparatus into a second bin, a second discharger for discharging the sheet on which an image is formed on the basis of the image data that is included in a first job and transmitted from the first apparatus into the first bin and discharging the sheet on which an image is formed on the basis of the image data that is included in a second job and transmitted from the first apparatus into the second bin, and a switch for executing switching to determine whether the sheet is to be discharged by the first discharger or discharged by the second discharger.